In Psalm 34:20, is David talking about himself? Did he mean that they did NOT break the bones of a living person OR they did NOT break the bones of a dead person?
Psalms 34:19-22 says, “Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the LORD delivereth him out of them all. He keepeth all his bones: not one of them is broken. Evil shall slay the wicked: and they that hate the righteous shall be desolate. The LORD redeemeth the soul of his servants: and none of them that trust in him shall be desolate.” These verses speak of the preservation of the Lord’s people and the judgment of the wicked.
It is often said that the Bible has ONE interpretation and MANY applications. In the literal interpretation of verse 20, I do believe that David is speaking of how the Lord spared him. It could very well be that the ‘bones’ spoken of here are representative of the whole person…the whole body. The Lord watched over David and brought him out of conflicts with his life intact. And so it is with all the righteous people. The Lord allows no harm to come to His people, but only as He permits and sees to be needful.
As David wrote this, I’m sure he probably had the institution of the Lord’s Passover in mind. In Exodus 12:46 we read about the Passover lamb, “In one house shall it be eaten; thou shalt not carry forth ought of the flesh abroad out of the house; NEITHER SHALL YE BREAK A BONE THEREOF.” The Lord had instructed the Israelites about the Passover lamb in Exodus 12:11, “And thus shall ye eat it; with your loins girded, your shoes on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and YE SHALL EAT IT IN HASTE: it is the LORD’S passover.” It was customary to break an animal’s bones to get to the marrow inside to eat it. The Lord is instructing His people that they did not have time to break the lamb’s bones. They needed to eat in haste, being ready to move out at any time.
We also find a fulfillment of this verse in the Lord Jesus Christ as He hung on the cross. We learn in 1 Corinthians 5:7 that Christ IS our Passover. With that in mind, let’s read John 19:31-37, “The Jews therefore, because it was the preparation, that the bodies should not remain upon the cross on the sabbath day, (for that sabbath day was an high day,) besought Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away. Then came the soldiers, and brake the legs of the first, and of the other which was crucified with him. But when they came to Jesus, and saw that he was dead already, they brake not his legs: But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and forthwith came there out blood and water. And he that saw it bare record, and his record is true: and he knoweth that he saith true, that ye might believe. For these things were done, that the scripture should be fulfilled, A BONE OF HIM SHALL NOT BE BROKEN. And again another scripture saith, They shall look on him whom they pierced.” Where was it written in the Old Testament concerning not breaking the Lord’s legs? It was in the portion we just considered. Exodus 12:46 tells us that, “NEITHER SHALL YE BREAK A BONE THEREOF.” This shows that what was said of the Passover lamb was prophetic of the true Passover…the Lord Jesus Christ!
Isn’t it amazing how the Lord worked to make sure this prophesy was fulfilled? When the soldiers went to break the legs of those crucified, which would expedite their death, they found the Lord has already died, and so there was no reason to break His legs. How is it that the Lord died so soon? It is because the Lord had authority to lay down His life (Read John 10:17-18) and He deliberately ended His life. We read in Luke 23:46, “And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, he said, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit: and having said thus, he gave up the ghost.” So, Christ, as our Passover, did not have to suffer the indignity of having his legs broken after His death. (280.2)